You Became My Everything
by m2r2a
Summary: They met and fell in love at a young age. They went through the ups and downs of relationships but life got in the way. Bella and Edward short story. A/H


Disclaimer: I don't know anyone, I don't own anything. I don't mean to cause harm, confusion or chaos. Also, please don't sue me…Jail and me don't mix and I have NO money. Void where prohibited :)

She leaned back against the seat of the cab and closed her eyes; she was so nervous she felt sick. She tried taking deep breaths, trying calm down, but the butterflies in her stomach kept multiplying. She knew she needed to do this, but she was frightened, she just wanted to turn around and go back home. But today she had to face her fear, before it was too late, today she had to know. There was one outcome that terrified her so much that she tried not to think about it, she tried to put it out of her mind, but at times, it was all she could think about. _What if she was too late? _They had loved each other, deeply, profoundly and she still loved him, she had never stopped and she wanted forever with him, more than anything … But she was afraid. She opened her eyes and looked out the window hoping to distract herself instead, but her nervous thoughts turned back in time.

They had met in freshmen year of college when they were both shy, geeky teens. Both had been accepted into an advanced medical program due to their extensive volunteer work and excellent academic progress during high school. She remembered being that skinny, klutzy girl who walked in late to their first anatomy class and stumbled into the last empty seat next to the lanky copper-headed boy.

She remembered the class projects they worked on as they became friends, and how she had been crushing on her kind, shy friend for several months but she was too scared to act on it since she didn't think he would feel the same. She smiled softly when she remembered how he shyly kissed her goodnight after one of their late night study sessions but her smile widened as she remembered how she passionately tried to kiss him back but only managed to make their teeth clash. She sighed as she thought back on how they fell in love right away and almost cried as she remembered that one rainy Saturday afternoon when they gave their virginities to each other, a few weeks after they began dating. They became each other's everything.

Luckily they were both from the same hot and humid state so they spent all their time together during their holiday breaks and summer vacations, traveling back and forth between their adjacent hometowns. By the time junior year came around, they were living together in a small apartment off campus.

Despite their romantic love life, they both had high expectations; he was working to be a cardiologist while she worked towards becoming an oncologist. She knew he secretly wanted to be a surgeon, yet he decided against it because his father and grandfather had been cardiologists and felt he had to continue with their legacy. She always encouraged him to follow _his_ dreams; however she was never able to convince him.

"Lady!" the cab driver called to her. "Lady, we're here!"

She walked up the steps of the beautiful red brick townhouse. Her hands were shaking as she reached up and pressed the doorbell and she almost turned back and ran when she heard someone walking to the door, but she gathered what little courage she had and held her ground. She only hoped that they would not hate her.

When his father opened the door and saw her, his eyes bulged for a few seconds before he immediately pulled her into a hug.

"Bella!" he said hugging her tightly, "My little Honey Bee!"

When she heard his old nickname for her she couldn't stop the sob that slipped out and she threw her arms around his waist and held on tightly.

"Who is it dear?" his mother called after a few seconds. But he didn't let go, he just held her and swayed them as she snuggled and cried into his chest.

"Ed? Darling?" she could hear Ellie coming closer. "Who is that?"

Bella barely managed to pull back a little to face her when Ellie threw herself at Bella, taking Ed's place.

"We've missed you so much!" Ellie sniffled after a moment. "Come in sweetheart. How have you been?" Ellie asked wiping her tears as she led Bella to the sofa, but the tall woman kept her arm firmly around Bella's shoulders not wanting to release her.

Bella smiled fondly at his parents as she looked at them through the tears in her eyes, they had hardly changed. "I'm doing well, thank you. How about you guys? You both look great!" she said excitedly, but then her face fell. "I missed you both so much!" she breathed trying to control her tears.

"We're thrilled to see you, Bee! I still can't believe it," Ed said taking Bella's hand.

"Do you live here?" his mother asked in a hopeful tone.

"No, I just came to town," she hesitated, "on vacation and I found out you both were living here… So decided to visit," she answered with a shy smile.

"That's too bad, Honey Bee," Bella smiled at the nickname. "I know they could use some oncologists at the hospital," Ed raised his eyebrows at her making Bella's smile grow.

"Oh Ed! She's here on vacation, leave her alone," Ellie then turned to Bella, "So where are you staying?"

"My good friend loaned me her beach house right next to the lighthouse on the bay," Bella answered but then gestured to the room they were in. "This is a beautiful home. How long have you both lived here?" she asked.

"Oh, about 3 months, we wanted to be closer to-" Ellie stopped herself, not wanting to discuss the elephant in the room, "to be closer to the city."

Bella knew that Edward had been back for about 4 months now, so she knew it was to be closer to him, but she just smiled at Ellie.

Finally, Ellie asked, "How is your mother doing, dear?"

Bella looked down and sighed, getting ready for what was to come. "She passed away," she answered.

"Honey, I'm so sorry!" Ed exclaimed as Ellie gasped and took her hand. "When?" he asked her softly.

Bella took a deep breath. "A little more than a year ago," she stated, raising her eyes to theirs.

Both his parents looked surprised. Ed was the first to speak. "That was… shortly after..?" he trailed off.

Bella nodded, trying not to cry.

"I'm so sorry, Honey Bee," Ed wrapped his arms around her, causing her to burst into tears.

"I'm sorry… about how I acted… I'm sorry I left… I missed you all so much... but I couldn't handle it... I was so angry... I never wanted… all this… to happen," she stuttered between sobs. "I want to find him... Please tell me... where I can find him."

Both parents held her until she managed to calm down, both rubbing her back or kissing her head. But when she was able to control herself and look up at them, she found them sharing a somber look. Bella felt a chill run down her body, her heart began beating faster and she began to feel like it was too hard to breathe; she knew she had bad news coming.

"What is it?" she choked out, making them turn their attention back to her.

"Darling... we... I...," Ellie struggled to find what to say.

Bella took a deep breath and prepared herself for what would come. She had to know, good or bad, she needed to know. She closed her eyes, summoning up months of practice as she tried to turn off her feelings; she needed to get through this.

"Please tell me," Bella said in a low voice. "I promise; I'm ok now. When I decided to come here, I knew that things might not turn out how I wanted them to. But please, just tell me, no sugar-coating anything. I need to know and… I think I rather hear it from you both, than from him," she whispered.

Ed grimaced, "He… met someone... when he was volunteering."

Bella closed her eyes; her biggest fear was coming true. "Please, continue," she choked out.

His father sighed in disapproval. "She is a surgical tech who also works at the hospital here… she worked with him the whole time he was away. We haven't talked much about it; he has been so busy since he got back, especially now that he... Well, he's actually working on becoming a surgeon now," Ed said giving her a sad look. He knew how Bella had encouraged Edward to follow his dream but he had always refused to listen to her. "We haven't really had a chance to talk, but... he did mention...," he looked over at Ellie.

"What?" she asked anxiously when he didn't continue.

Ed swallowed loudly. "He mentioned… that maybe, in the future… he could... possibly… marry her," he finished in a whisper.

Bella felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She lowered her eyes as she struggled to breathe and did her best to compose herself. "I had... imagined… something like this could happen," she spoke softly. She looked up and tried to smile at them, but when she saw Ellie's tears, Bella abruptly stood up before she lost control again.

"I need to go now," she swallowed down her tears as she spoke. "Please, don't tell him I came by, unless you absolutely have to. But if you do, please don't tell him about this. I won't… taint his new happiness with my issues," her lips pursed in an effort not to cry as she said this. "Please, if you have to tell him, just mention that I stopped by to say hi and that I wish him the best in everything."

"Bella, sweetie, please don't go yet. We've missed you so much and we love you too... You've always been my daughter," Ellie cried.

Bella threw herself at her; she had been her mother as well. "I love you too, both of you." She said looking up at his father. "You have both been wonderful with me, I couldn't have asked for anyone better." Bella kissed Ellie's cheek, "But I need to go now, my time with you is over," she said with quivering lips. She pulled away after kissing them both one last time and headed to the door.

"Wait!" Ed called as he rushed to a nearby desk and pulled out two business cards. "Here Bee, we love you so much and we've missed you. _Please_ keep in touch with us."

Ellie watched through her tears as her brokenhearted girl fought to keep her tears at bay as she forced a smile for them once more before rushing out of their house.

"Why is Edward so stubborn?" Ellie moaned as soon as Bella left. "I told him she still loved him but he won't listen!" cried Ellie as her husband tried to comfort her.

"I know, darling. I know," he said as he pulled her into his arms.

Bella ran out of the house, taking deep breaths, as she tried to stop herself from sobbing. She walked for a while, not even paying attention to where she was going as she struggled to compose herself.

"I lost him," she lamented. "Why was I so stupid? Why did I ever let him go," she moaned.

Less than two years before her residence was over, she was devastated when her father suddenly died. Edward helped and comforted her through everything; he went home with her and with the help of his parents, they faced the funeral and everything else that had to be dealt with. Her mother, who was already battling cancer, lost her will to live. The loss of her husband sent her into a horrible depression, deteriorating her health even more. The only thing that kept Bella going was Edward's love and support. Unfortunately, Edward's two-week leave at the hospital was soon over and he was forced to leave her behind. His parents were able to stay with her for a couple of weeks after he left but eventually they also had to leave due to several business trips they could no longer postpone.

Edward would call her every day, at first concerned for her and her mother, but as the weeks passed, he missed her so much and began to ask her to return. He knew she would not leave her mother, so he even offered to buy a house so her mother could come with them, they could live close to the hospital so she could get the care she needed. But her mother refused to leave her home, the home she had shared with her now dead husband for more than twenty-five years; Bella's mother was sick, depressed and unreasonable and Bella was powerless to do more. She knew her mother was dying; she would not eat and was very sick all the time. Bella could not, would not force her to do anything that might make her worse, nor did she want to let her die alone.

Edward understood, but despite his understanding, their relationship entered a limbo that kept getting worse. For some reason, her mother had never liked Edward and now that she was sick, she had no problems with letting him know. Whenever he visited or called, she would blame him for everything and anything, she accused him of trying to steal her daughter away and she would assure him that she would do anything to keep Bella away from him. Bella knew it was the depression talking but Edward felt that it was more than just an empty threat.

Unfortunately, the last straw for Edward came when Bella decided to quit her residency to stay with her mother. Edward was devastated; he felt that she was leaving him for a mother, which from his point of view, was just being manipulative. He begged Bella to reconsider and to move them into the house he would buy the next day if she agreed, but Bella felt like she was between a rock and a hard place, she couldn't decide between the love of her life and her only living parent. But in the end, her dying mother eventually won out that battle.

Edward was so hurt that she didn't choose to return to him, so feeling dejected and without giving it much thought, he volunteered to go to Africa on a humanitarian mission for a year. But now Bella felt like she had been stabbed in the back, she felt like he was just looking for an excuse to leave her when she needed him so much.

A few days before he left, they got into a huge fight over the phone that ended up with Bella breaking up with him. She told him that if he was looking for a way to be as far as possible from her, then he could have his wish and they could go their own ways. He tried to counter that he wasn't leaving her but she told him that he could have taken time off to be with her instead of going to another continent. He apologized but he could not back out now, unfortunately that only spurred on another argument. In the end, they were both hurt, so even if they were sorry and wanted to retract, they both held their ground, waiting for the other to make the first move.

About a month after he left, her mother lost her battle with cancer, leaving Bella completely alone and devastated in this world. She took care of all the funeral arrangements and sold her childhood home, then she only gave herself one short week to mourn before moving across the country to a small apartment close to a hospital where she continued her residency.

She felt so angry, so alone and betrayed, so she cut herself off from any communication and immersed herself in her work. She took in all the shifts she could, she participated in every program she could find and because she was lucky enough to get a position with one of the most prestigious oncologists, Dr. James Hunter, she was able to finish her residency in a shorter amount of time.

She spent so much time working with Dr. Hunter that she became a close friend of his family and became best friends with his wife, Victoria. Eventually, she told Viki everything; she cried in her arms as she told her how she knew she had made a mistake and had never stopped loving him, and that the anger she had felt had now turned into longing and remorse. She missed him so much, but was scared of what she might find if she looked for him now. Viki supported her and reassured her as she began to help her track down Edward's parents. Then, through Viki's encouragement, she gathered the courage she needed to come visit them once she found them.

A cool breeze made Bella come out of her memory. She looked up and realized she had walked into a park that she had seen right outside of his parent's house. It was a nice, open, peaceful trail that circled around a large lake. Any other day, she would have loved to stay and walk around, but today she just wanted to get home, she needed to be alone. Looking around, she saw a tall hospital building beyond the trees, so deciding she would have better luck getting a cab there, she began to walk through the park to get there before it got too dark.

As she walked, Bella tried to clear her mind, but she couldn't help but think about where her life would go now. She had lived in this particular world of hers for so long, but now that this long chapter in her life was closed, she didn't know what to do.

Suddenly she felt tired, exhausted from the events of the day. She looked around and found a bench with a nice view of the lake; she sat quietly for a few minutes as she admired the peaceful scene. She watched as a few ducks swam along the edge, then she watched the way the last rays of the sun played with its reflection across the water and finally she closed her eyes as she enjoyed the way the sun felt across her face as a gentle breeze played with her hair. She stayed like that for a while trying to concentrate and enjoy the peace that this moment brought her, but she was yanked from her respite when she heard the most beautiful voice in her world, the only voice that could ever make her heart skip a beat.

"Bella," she heard him say.

Edward was walking to his parents' house; he was tired and irritable after his long, exhausting shift. Several of the other students were going to some bar after work and had invited him, but he just wanted to go home and rest, but then his mother had called him during his lunch and begged him to come over. He had not had much free time to visit them after his return, so feeling guilty he decided to visit them tonight.

He was scolding himself for leaving his car at the hospital as he walked across the park, it had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he was completely exhausted. He was halfway through the trail when he suddenly saw her, he froze and his heart jolted inside of him as if lightning had struck him. She was more beautiful than he remembered, more beautiful than the day he saw her walk into their first class together or the last day he saw her as he left her mother's house. He took her in as he approached her quietly, not wanting to scare her, but as he walked closer his eyes were glued to her face. She was breathtaking, her face had not changed, the porcelain skin, the button nose and the plump lips. It was the face he had tried to forget, the face he had desperately longed to see, the only face that could bring back all those feelings and emotions in him. In that moment, he realized he could never stop loving her. He had tried; he ran away to forget her, he even thought about seeing Tanya to try to replace her. But it was useless, he was hers, always; there could never be anyone for him but her.

Her eyes snapped open and she abruptly turned to face him. He was standing there, in surgical scrubs, just a few feet away. Bella was shocked; she didn't think she'd see him again. As she regained her senses she quickly looked him over, the only thing she could see that had changed about him was that his arms and chest had broadened, but everything else was the same. The same sexy copper mess of hair the she loved to play with, his same vibrant dark green eyes that could see all the way into her soul and the same squared jaw and chiseled features that she used to caress. He looked like her Edward, the same man who had always been hers; that one man she had always been able to go to, the only man she would ever love but wasn't hers anymore.

"Bella... You're here," he said.

She cleared her throat to compose herself and did her best to give him a smile. "Yes, I was in the neighborhood and found out where your parents live," she shrugged. "I decided to give them a little visit," she finished with a small smile.

"You're leaving now?" he asked nervously. He couldn't let her leave yet, he needed more time with her.

"Ah, yes...," she said standing up and picking up her purse. " I was walking to the hospital, to get a cab there."

He lost his voice for a second; her short summer dress clung perfectly to her luscious curves thanks to the breeze and allowed him to admire her perfectly. "Well, it's getting dark; you shouldn't be walking in a dark park alone," he scowled. _Just like always_, he thought, _no sense of self-preservation._

"It seems like a short walk and it's not dark yet. I'll be alright, I can take care of myself," she answered.

He smiled warmly at her, making her heart beat faster, he had always loved her independent ways. "Always stubborn," he whispered to himself. "Let me walk you, we can catch up," he said gesturing toward the hospital. He was not going to let her go yet, he was trying to find a way to stall.

Bella hesitated, she didn't want to spend any more time with him, she was doing her best to seem relaxed and unaffected, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could last. But before she could protest, he turned and took two steps toward the way he had come then turned and waited for her to follow, leaving her no choice but to take a deep breath and begin walking.

"How have you been, Bella? How's your mother?" he asked politely after a few seconds of silence.

She swallowed; she had lost her nerve and did not want to get into this with him. "I'm fine, thank you… My mother… passed away," she said the last part softly.

"B, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed as he stopped walking. He felt horrible; he knew she must have endured it all alone since she had no more family and wondered when this had happened.

She shrugged in response, avoiding his gaze though she knew he was trying to look at her, but she kept walking, making him speed up to catch up with her. She could feel her control slipping; he was going to break her if he continued with his sympathy and concern. So deciding to change the topic, she put on her best fake smile.

"So? How have _you_ been? You parents told me things were going pretty well for you. I heard you found a lovely girl and plan on settling down soon," she shot him a quick look as she raised her hand to brush off some invisible hair from her eyes, just wanting to cover herself a little as she gave him the best smile she could manage. He looked surprised, but she quickly continued, gesturing to his surgical student security badge. "And I see you're following your dream ... Guess she was able to accomplish the impossible and convince you," she stated in a playful tone but the corners of her mouth fell a little as she raised her eyebrows and looked down at the floor.

He was shocked. Why did his parents have to tell her about Tanya? They had only been on a few "dates", if you could call them that, but now Bella though he was marrying her. His parents must have believed that stupid comment he made and he only did it to calm them down since they had been so worried about him after his breakup with Bella. Now Bella also thought he was pursuing his specialty because of Tanya. How could she not know it was because of her? He only did it because of Bella's encouragements, because of the faith she had always had in him. He looked at her in shock but she had turned her face to look at the flowers beds on her side.

Bella's heart ached when he didn't deny it; her last shreds of hope were dying as he walked in silence. But she misinterpreted his silence as guilt or awkwardness since she knew about his new girl. She swallowed the lump in her throat and took a silent breath so he wouldn't notice; she needed to keep her voice from trembling.

She put the smile back on and continued. "Oh come on! Since when are you shy? Weren't you the one that was always gloating about your achievements?" She asked trying to be playful about it, but unluckily, her composure crumbled and against her will, her smile turned upside down.

"Edward," she said in soft shaky voice. He turned to look at her and caught sight of her sad eyes before she squinted and looked ahead at the trail in front of them. "You know how time flies... sometimes, at least for me, it seems like" she shrugged, "like it was just a few days ago that we were starting our residence, like it was just yesterday that we… were together in college." Bella couldn't hold it in anymore; a few tears escaped her as she looked up and away into the trees. "Like few days have gone by since... we lived our lives for… our studies and… for each other," she finished in a tight, soft voice.

Edward couldn't stand to see her this way any longer. "Bella," he interrupted.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "No. Please… I need to tell you. Please let me tell you, now that I still can," she looked forward again as she cleared her throat. They were out of the park now and crossing a small street, several cabs were parked at the entrance of the hospital, she was just a few feet away from her escape.

Edward was nervous and scared of what she would tell him. He wanted to grab her, hold her in his arms and kiss her senseless, but he didn't know what she wanted. He saw the tears in her eyes but didn't know what they meant; maybe she had moved on or maybe something else had happened.

Bella took a deep breath and looked up to examine his solemn face. She knew she needed to lay her cards on the table. Even if she was being selfish or ridiculous in confessing this to him now, now that he was in a serious relationship, but she didn't want to regret it later. Even if she was too late, she didn't want to live with the what-ifs.

She looked into those familiar green eyes and began sadly. "Edward," her hands were trembling as she brushed the hair from her face and her stomach was clenching in pain. "I am so sorry that I just turned up, without notice or invitation," she gulped, "but… I needed to find you; I needed to see you..," she looked down as tears poured down her face. "I have no regrets about our time together, I will always cherish all the memories we made," her voice breaks as she finished. "I just never thought it could hurt so much."

"Bella, please-," he begged taking a step closer to her, but she stepped back and held her hand up to stop him.

Bella misinterpreted his plea and thought he pitied her for being too late. "Don't worry about me," she interrupted him. She could feel her sobs finding their way out, she needed to get out of there. "I wish you both the best, always. I don't want you to live with any regrets, concerns or worries about me. I'll be fine." She looked up at him with tortured eyes but quickly averted them again; it hurt her so much to say that. "I remember what you always said when I tried to watch soap operas," she tried to laugh, "Sometimes in love, you just need to move on," she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"What? Why? Bella, what are you trying to say?" he asked.

She sighed. "I know I'm too late, but I still needed to tell you..," she looked up at him and gave him a small sad smile as the tears streamed down her face. "I had hoped you'd see me and…" she shook her head as she swallowed back a sob. "I wanted you to know that for me... it was _never_ over... I still love you, Edward!"

Suddenly, Bella was hugging him, she had wrapped her arms over his, immobilizing him, squeezing him so hard that his arms were stuck to his sides.

"Please don't ever forget me," she managed in a cracked whisper as she held on to him_. I love you, I love you_, she chanted in her mind as she held on to him.

But suddenly she heard a man call out to Edward. "Dr. Masen!" he called and it was immediately followed by a woman, "Edward!"

Immediately Bella let him go and ran for her life, getting into an empty cab. "Go! Go!" she yelled at the poor driver who thankfully was quick to obey.

Edward was in shock, he stood there not even looking over at whoever had called him; he was just trying to comprehend what had happened. But as her cab pulled out, he reacted and ran after it, barely managing to bang on its trunk a few times before they sped off.

Bella heard him pounding on the cab, but she didn't want him trying to apologize or explain anything to her. "Don't stop!" she cried out and once they were a few blocks down she managed to choke out the address. She struggled the whole ride home as she swallowed her sobs and wept as silently as she could. The cab driver kept asking her if she was ok, but after several apologies and reassurances from Bella, he just decided to speed up and get her home.

_Bella just told me that she still loved me and like an idiot I let her get away! No! What did I do? _He thought to himself. He ran and begged some of the other cab drivers to find out where she went, but they refused, saying it was against policy. After a moment of trying to convince them, he remembered Bella had visited his parents, he could only hope she had shared some information with them. He ran past his friends, to the hospital's parking lot where he had left his car as he dialed his parent's house.

"Hello," his father answered.

"Dad! Did Bella tell you where she was staying?" he yelled as he ran.

"Edward? How do you know Bella was here? Did you see her?" his father asked. He could hear his mother speaking loudly in the background. "I don't know, honey… I'm trying to find out," his father said away from the phone.

"Dad! Please tell me! Do you know where she's staying? I need to find her! I need to talk to her!" he was feeling anxious now.

"She said she's staying in a beach house next to the lighthouse," his father, said but his mother yelled something in the background. "Oh, your mom says the lighthouse on the bay. Did you run into her?" he asked nervously.

"Are you going after her?" his mother asked anxiously as she took the phone from her husband.

"Yes! I need to get to her as soon as possible!" he said as he ran up the steps of the lot.

"Oh Edward, I'm so happy!" his mother exclaimed.

"I can't lose her again," he said getting into his car.

"Edward," he could hear the tears in her voice, "Call us if you need help," she said.

"Thanks mom, I will," he said and hung up. Edward sped off as he exited the parking lot. He knew where that lighthouse was, so he headed in that direction; but he was determined to search everywhere if he needed to.

She was in a daze as she went in and turned on a few lights; she had left her shoes outside the door, as she always did, and made her way to the back of the house in silence. She looked out the sliding glass door that led to the empty beach as she placed her purse on the kitchen table.

Her tears began to pour down her face again as her chest heaved from the pain; she had to place both palms on the glass door to steady herself as her body shook with deep sobs. But suddenly she felt claustrophobic, she felt trapped inside the large house. She threw open the glass doors and stumbled out of the house, falling on a soft patio chair that was placed on the edge of the deck. She pulled her legs up, not even bothering to fix her skirt as it pooled halfway around her thighs.

She sobbed from the pain she felt as she died slowly from inside. Her fingers clawed anxiously at her hair as she accepted that she had lost him forever, and her breath failed her in her desperation and anxiety when she thought of him loving and pleasuring another woman. She rested her forehead on her knees and hugged her legs to comfort herself as she shed her soul, crying bitterly and alone, on a beautiful, quiet, moonlit beach.

Edward sped through the highway, weaving through traffic when necessary, not even bothering to look at how fast he was going. All he could think about was Bella. She found him and told him she loved him. How could he let her get away? Now he was driving like a lunatic, not even knowing if he would find her.

When he reached the lighthouse area, he slowed down since he wasn't familiar with the small isolated roads, and the houses were well hidden to give them privacy but at the same time it made them hard to find. He drove down the street that led to the lighthouse; his parents had said she was staying in a house next to it, so he hoped he could find her soon. The first house he encountered that was located next to it was under construction, so he quickly drove to the next one. His heart beat faster, his feet were anxious to run to her and his hands aching to hold her.

He quickly parked the car and went to knock on the door but no one answered, he knocked louder but he couldn't hear any movement inside. He was about to leave when he looked down and saw the high-heeled shoes she had worn next to the door. His breathing sped up, she was here, yet she was not answering the door. He was not taking no for an answer, even if he had to break in to talk to her. He started checking the door and windows, to see if any were unlocked, but having no luck in the front of the house, he decided to go around the back.

As he walked to the back he had to stop as he heard deep heartbreaking sobs, he knew they were coming from her so he ran to her, his heart aching as he heard her. He came around the house and stopped when he found her; her petite form curled into herself, her face hidden in her knees, her hair blowing in the strong sea wind as she cried her heart out. His legs carried him closer, but his footsteps were muted as he was now walking on sand. When he was about five feet from her, he could not hold back any longer.

"Bella" he said in a low voice, not wanting to scare her.

She jumped up in surprise. Her red teary eyes were wide as she looked up at him, her cheeks and lips were flushed from crying so much, but all he saw was the beautiful woman he loved.

"Edward. What are you doing here?" she croaked out.

"I came to find you," he said.

"I'm sorry; you didn't have to come all the way here. I didn't mean to make you feel guilty or anything, please just go, I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me," she said looking down, wiping her face off with her skirt.

"Bella, I can't… I can't..," he was so overcome with emotion that he couldn't form the words.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "You can. Just go Edward," she said looking away.

He took the last few steps to reach her and kneeled before her; she looked up at him in confusion as he looked down at her with pleading eyes. "I can't live without you. I love you Bella…," he said between ragged breaths. "It's always been you… no one else… not ever! I'm sorry I was stupid enough to try but no one could ever take your place."

She shook her head no. "What about her? I won't let you break your promise to her because of me. I'm sorry I _had_ to tell you, I'm sorry that my struggle to maintain my sanity has made you doubt what you feel for her. But I won't do that to her," she cried softly.

"There is nothing between us! We went on two short dates! And they can't even be called dates, since we were with a group of friends hanging out. I never kissed her or anyone else, I never even held her hand. I only told my parents we were so close because they always worried about me after we broke up. I never wanted her, Bella," he slowly reached up and brushed her hair from her face with his hand. "I could only think about you, how we had always fit together, perfectly… How we fell in love so fast, how you became my everything," he murmured in his soft velvety voice as he caressed her bottom lip with his thumb.

Bella didn't know what to say but she could feel her heart beating again, piecing itself back together.

"I'm sorry Bella, for being an asshole when you needed me the most, for forcing you to choose and causing our relationship to fall apart. Please give me another chance. You are everything to me. Everything I've done has been for you. My new specialty was because of all the encouragement you gave me through the years, no one else had any part in that. Please my love, forgive me… come back to me," he whispered as he placed his other hand on her cheek, trapping her face between his hands as he leaned in a little.

She studied him for a few seconds; she could feel hope stirring inside of her again. "You really mean it. Don't you?"

"You are my heart, my life, my only love."

"I love you too, Edward, so much. I can't believe I almost lost you," Bella said with tears in her eyes again.

"Ssh, I have always been yours, my love," he murmured as his hands held her face in place and he leaned down to kiss her.

Bella closed her eyes as he leaned in. She shuddered when his lips ghosted over hers; she savored the warmth of his lips on hers and the way his soft lips brushed against hers. She felt like she could breathe again, after such a long time she felt whole again. But when he took her bottom lip between his, she could no longer hold back. She kissed him back with all that was in her, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him closer as she tangled her fingers in his hair.

They kissed each other with abandon, not thinking nor caring about anything around them. Their breathing was heavy, almost panting has they explored their mouths with their tongues. He released her face and his hands moved everywhere, over her hair, over her waist, down her back. They could both feel their arousal awakening as their bodies got closer. They kissed and touched each other, and somehow, Edward ended up kneeling between her bare legs. Bella was pressed up against his chest, holding on to his shoulders, feeling his broad, strong frame.

They were both aching for each other, their bodies responding to the familiar signals the other was sending. Bella scraped her nails on his back, as she knew he always liked, feeling his defined muscles. Edward began to kiss down her neck, knowing it would make her crazy with lust, he kept going lower as he held her waist in place and made her arch her back to give him access to her body. When he reached her breasts, he moved the fabric aside and placed open-mouthed kisses on them, sucking lightly on the exposed skin above her bra. He placed his hands on her bare legs, slowly caressing his way up to her inner thigh, just a centimeter away from her center, close enough to feel how damp she was.

"You're mine, love. You'll always be mine. I won't ever lose you again," he said as he wrapped her leg around his hip and pressed into her. "Do you want me to make you mine again?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yes," she responded breathlessly.

He wrapped both her legs around his hips and kissed her deeply, sensuously before he carried her into the house.


End file.
